I Want It All (High School Musical 3 (DVD))

Member Name: JayHall1991

Product:	High School Musical 3 (DVD)
Date:	28/11/08 (113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, Good Performances, Offers Fans What They Want

Disadvantages: Some Rubbish Songs, Dodgy Script, Unmemorable

Graduation is fast approaching and the East High students have to face to prospect of moving on with their lives; choosing colleges, organising proms and setting up year-books seems to be too much for the students! But when the prospect of performing their own end of school musical crops up as a way of celebrating their time at High School and performing together one last time they all jump at the chance. But as problems face the teenagers and the reality of moving away from each other hits home, they all must find who they are, and what that means in an ever changing world.

If you haven't heard of High School Musical then you obviously don't have tweenagers in your house and quite possibly don't own a television or haven't picked up a magazine lately. It has been hard to avoid the fever pitch surrounding the release of High School Musical 3 (the first big-screen instalment in the hugely popular franchise) and so I, like so many others, gathered up my family and scooted off to the bustling, buzzing cinema on opening night. And as it turns out the latest Disney flick is a fun, heartfelt, glitzy kiss to its enduring fans - those that have already been hooked in by Troy and the gang will be in musical heaven thanks to some truly extravagant song-and-dance numbers..... They'll revel in the genuinely touching romance and (if there anything like the 7 year olds I went to see it with) they'll scream, whoop, dance, cry and giggle throughout. It sadly clings onto the thin plotting, muddling direction and slight falseness which stopped the previous instalments becoming a hit with adults - but to those who truly care, none of that matters.

High School Musical 3 successfully ups the ante; everything is bigger, bolder and more spectacular than in the previous two - the visuals are eye-catching, the dance routines are elaborate, the settings are incredible and the costumes (especially the numerous prom dresses) are enough to keep the little girls talking in the playground for weeks. It's simply brimming with colour, style and pizzazz and the musical sequences are all very cleverly staged, without feeling forced or sluggish. As the fireworks go off, the plentiful dancers swarm the stage and the costumes grow increasingly outlandish it is very easy to get caught up in the pure creativeness of it all and Kenny Ortega manages to capture a vibrant impulsiveness which makes some of the sequences really pop. When the film concentrates on being high-energy fluff it is very effective; everyone throws themselves into their roles and the larger budget allows the whole crew to run wild. Some of it moves like lightening and is genuinely exciting and whenever the bitchy Sharpay gets to strut her stuff the film takes on a kind of campy vibe which is undeniably entertaining.

Despite the more substantial dance sequences and elaborate style the script remains one note and shallow - sadly Peter Barsocchini fails to inject any substance into the film and his screenplay lacks anything truly interesting or creative. He doesn't adapt the formulae for the big screen, simply treading old ground and he manages to craft scenes which make very little sense. A lot of the sequences seem to be suspended in the film for no reason and some are almost direct copies of things that have previously appeared in the series. He seems obsessed with shoving the Troy and Gabrielle romance down the audience's throat, which although extremely sweet and suitably teary, is as dull here as it ever was. There is no character development and one of the most fun twists (an unexpected romance between two of the more quirky characters) is given a rather damp and uninteresting finale. There is a routine nature to the dialogue which makes the film seem even sillier than it is and there is no-where near enough story to warrant a big screen outing. However, there is a suitably moving final stretch and there are some saccharine romance sequences that'll leave the fans swooning.


Despite the limited material the cast really step up to the mark; they finally look like professional performers and all of them pump as much energy into the scenes as they can. They all offer something and have all improved greatly through the years; Zac Efron, despite his smugness, is surprisingly successful as Troy, the basket-ball playing hero of the piece. He manages to be likeable and funny but also tries to attach some emotion into his characters journey, he has some genuinely moving moments and capitalises on them as best he can. He is most impressive when he gets his solo piece 'Scream' where he manages to build a surprising amount of grit and does the whole 'Footloose' thing with a surprising amount of energy, emotion and a sort of raw determination that livens the whole thing up. Ashley Tisdale has the most fun part in the guise of Sharpay and she manages to toe the line between likeable, sexy, bitchy and moving in one energetic, stylish swoop. She is very natural on the screen and knows how to be nasty but loveable, sexy but appropriate - and when her character gets a triumphant "comeback" most of the kids around me where cheering, laughing and screaming at the sheer silly bitchiness of it all.

Lucas Gabreel plays the outrageous and quirky Ryan with a kind of innocent joy that makes his rather irritating character work and Olesya Rulin (who didn't make much of an impression in the first two) shines as the most talented member of the crew - showing a vocal talent which is far better than the little material she is given. The only let-down is the eternally dull but pretty Vanessa Hudges who seems capable of pouting and giggling and very little else. The dance sequences are all very impressive; I Want It All sees two of the characters move through the various dance genres with hundreds of back-up dancers twirling, break dancing and writhing to the beat and both Efron and Hudges show true dance talent in the waltz/ballet mix seen in Can I Have This Dance.

The music this time round lacks the catchiness that kept the kids humming for weeks, there are no insanely memorable hooks and most of the roster is filled with dull ballads and poppy side-notes. However, there are a few highlights "if you can call any song from high School Musical a highlight); Scream is a rocking, catchy and surprisingly foot-stomp worthy hit that allows Efron to cut loose and scream for a good five minutes, High School Musical is an undeniably upbeat and dancey way to finish the trilogy, Be With You is one of the less horrible ballads in the piece (and is accompanied by some really beautiful piano solos) and I Want It All is a high energy, bright and funny tribute to the musicals of old. And The Boys Are Back deserves a mention for being truly hilarious - for all of the wrong reasons.

Overall, High School Musical 3 is fairly critic proof; sure it's not particularly good and there are more bad aspects than there are brilliant - but to those who have waited over a year for it, it stands a big hug, it delivers all of the heart break and hilarity that the tweens want and throws in a few things which will keep the parents from leaving. In the end it is a film built around innocence and filled with a certain kind of artistic joy - and I think that its brilliant kids are eating it up. High School Musical has crafter a safe, fun little world in which a song/dance combo solves all problems and you never know its ardent optimism may just rub off on you.

Summary: A Big Kiss To High School Musical Fan